VL53L1X Time-of-Flight Distance Sensor Carrier with Voltage Regulator, 400cm Max Pololu

DESCRIPTION

This sensor is a carrier/breakout board for ST’s VL53L1X laser-ranging sensor, which offers fast and accurate ranging up to 4 m. It uses the time of flight (ToF) of invisible, eye-safe laser pulses to measure absolute distances independent of ambient lighting conditions and target characteristics like colour, shape, and texture (though these things will affect the maximum range).

The VL53L1X also features a programmable region of interest (ROI), so the full field of view can be reduced or divided into multiple zones. Distance measurements can be read through a digital I2C interface. The board includes a 2.8 V linear regulator and level-shifters that allow it to work over an input voltage range of 2.6 V to 5.5 V, and the 0.1″ pin spacing makes it easy to use with standard solderless breadboards and 0.1″ perfboards.

The VL53L1X is effectively a tiny, self-contained lidar system featuring an integrated 940 nm Class 1 laser, which is invisible and eye-safe. Unlike conventional IR sensors that use the intensity of reflected light to estimate the distance to an object, the VL53L1X uses ST’s FlightSense technology to precisely measure how long it takes for emitted pulses of infrared laser light to reach the nearest object and be reflected back to a detector. This approach ensures absolute distance measurements independent of ambient lighting conditions and target characteristics (e.g. colour, shape, texture, and reflectivity), though these external conditions do affect the maximum range of the sensor, as do the sensor configuration settings.

FEATURES

• Dimensions: 0.5″ × 0.7″ × 0.085″ (13 mm × 18 mm × 2 mm)
• Weight without header pins: 0.5 g (0.02 oz)
• Operating voltage: 2.6 V to 5.5 V
• Supply current: ~15 mA (typical average during active ranging at max sampling rate)
  • Varies with configuration, target, and environment; peak current can reach 40 mA
• Fast and accurate ranging with three distance mode options:
  • Short: up to ~130 cm, 50 Hz max sampling rate; this mode is the most immune to interference from ambient light
  • Medium: up to ~300 cm in the dark, 30 Hz max sampling rate
  • Long: up to 400 cm in the dark, 30 Hz max sampling rate
• Minimum range: 4 cm (objects under this range are detected, but measurements are not accurate)
• Emitter: 940 nm invisible Class 1 VCSEL (vertical cavity surface-emitting laser) – eye-safe
• Detector: 16×16 SPAD (single photon avalanche diode) receiving array with integrated lens
  • The typical full field of view (FoV): 27°
  • Programmable region of interest (ROI) size on the receiving array, allowing the sensor FoV to be reduced
  • Programmable ROI position on the receiving array, allowing multizone operation control from the host
• Configurable detection interrupt thresholds for implementing autonomous low-power presence detection:
  • target closer than the threshold
  • target farther than the threshold
  • target within a distance window
  • target outside of distance window
  • no target
• Output format (I²C): 16-bit distance reading (in millimetres)

RESOURCES

Pinout:

• VDD: Regulated 2.8 V output. Almost 150 mA is available to power external components. (If you want to bypass the internal regulator, you can instead use this pin as an input for voltages between 2.6 V and 3.5 V with VIN disconnected.)
• VIN: This is the main 2.6 V to 5.5 V power supply connection. The SCL and SDA level shifters pull the I²C lines high to this level.
• GND: The ground (0 V) connection for your power supply. Your I²C control source must also share a common ground with this board.
• SDA: Level-shifted I²C data line: HIGH is VIN, LOW is 0 V
• SCL: Level-shifted I²C clock line: HIGH is VIN, LOW is 0 V
• XSHUT: This pin is an active-low shutdown input; the board pulls it up to VDD to enable the sensor by default. Driving this pin low puts the sensor into hardware standby. This input is not level-shifted.
• GPIO1: Programmable interrupt output (VDD logic level). This output is not level-shifted.

Useful Links:

• VL53L1X Time-of-Flight sensor datasheet
• UM2356: VL53L1X API user manual
• Schematic Diagram of VL53L1X
• VL53L1X Documentation
• VL53L1X API (STSW-IMG007)
• VL53L1X API Implementation for Arduino